Shirt collar and cuff reinforcement



May 7, 1963 w. A. BAKER SHIRT COLLAR AND GUFF nzmoxczumr Filed Oct. 26, 1961 INVENTOR W/'///'am A. Baker ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,088,117 SHIRT COLLAR AND CUFF REINFORCEMENT William A. Baker, 5230 Catalina, Shawnee Mission, Kane. Filed Oct. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 147,826 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-129) This invention relates to reinforcements for collars and cuffs of shirts and has for an object to provide improvement in supporting, stiffening and shaping both the collars and the folded cuffs of mens shirts, although, of course, equally applicable to womens shirts which may have either or both folded collars or folded cuffs. Such collars and cuffs are now often made of material that is not stiff enough to be self-supporting, particularly after having been worn a few hours, and thus, the collars or cuffs tend to be wrinkled before the end of a single days wear, making them unsightly.

It is an object of this invention to provide means which will prevent premature wrinkling of both collars or folded cuffs, and wherein the same principles of this invention can be applied not only to collars which are present in almost every shirt, but also to folded cuffs when such folded cuffs are present on the shirt.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a means of reinforcement for both collars and cuffs, or wristbands, which would still permit particularly the collar to have the feel of a soft collar yet, when this reinforcement is added, to have the appearance and shape of a comparatively hard, or starched, collar without the uncomfortable feel of a starched collar.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a reinforcement or attachment which can be added to the soft collar of a shirt, or to the folded wristband of a shirt, when present, for preventing the collar or folded wristband from degenerating into a wilted-down wrinkled condition when in use, and which reinforcement can be readily stripped off prior to laundering and discarded, and wherein the reinforcement is so inexpensive that a new one can be added to the shirt after laundering, either by the user, or preferably, by the commercial laundry as an additional service to the customer, either at a slight additional charge, or even without any additional charge, as an added inducement provided by the laundry in attracting and keeping its. customers.

With the above and related objects in view, the present invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a shirt collar to which this invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pair of shirt collar reinforcements used in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a reinforcement of this invention for use with a shirt collar or wristband.

FIG. 5 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing the folded cuff or wristband reinforcement in operative position.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a pair of reinforcements in assembled position, before being separated for use.

There is shown at 10 a conventional shirt having a neckband 12. and its customary folded element 14 which makes up the conventional soft collar as found on many shirts.

This folded collar element 14- and the neckband 12 are often made of the same material as the body of the shirt 10, thus providing a soft collar, which is the most comfortable type of collar, yet, unless it is at least partly or fully starehed, often presents a wilted-down wrinkled condition after an hour or two of use, thus presenting an untidy appearance. To avoid this, such soft collars are often starehed, either partially or completely, in order to present a good appearance, but such starching inevitably produces a stiff edge at the fold edge 16 which cuts or otherwise chafes the neck of the wearer, and thus is undesirable.

In the form of this invention as applied to collars, there is provided a pair of reinforcements 18 as illustrated separately in FIG. 2, and each reinforcement consists of a piece of paper, plastic or other suitable material 20 of sufiicient rigidity. These pieces 20 are sized and shaped, as illustrated in FIG. 1, to conform to the shape and size of the major area of the folded collar element 14, it being observed in FIG. 1 that when in position, the two pieces 20 are spaced apart somewhat at the back, but are close to but spaced from each of the ends and bottom edges, as well as the fold edge 16 of the folded collar element 14.

The two collar reinforcement pieces 20 are mirror images of each other and the major area of each piece 20 is covered with a pressure sensitive pull-release adhesive 22 of a conventional well known type that will adhere to cloth and strip away clean, this type of adhesive being so well-known that it is even used as a cleaner for cloth in that it will adhere to fuzz that may be on cloth, and remove the fuzz from the cloth without damage to the cloth, to thus leave it clean.

However, this adhesive 22 will preferably be omitted from one corner 24 of each piece 20, so that when the two pieces are paired together in an assembly, as in FIG. 6, these corners 24 with-out adhesive permit ready gripping by ones fingers or fingernails for separating the two pieces for use on the folded collar element 14.

In use with this part of the invention, the reinforcements 18 are packed in pairs with the adhesive 22 in contact with each other and the adhesive-free corners 24 likewise in mating contact with each other, but not adhering to each other, due to lack of the adhesive.

In order to use the invention, the pair are taken in ones fingers, gripped at the corners 24, separated, and then placed appropriately on the inside of the folded collar element 14, which is temporarily unfolded so as to properly position reinforcements 20 thereon, then the collar is folded back and the shirt is ready for use. Obviously, this may be done in the home by the user, or in the laundry as an added service when the shirt is laundered. When the wearer is ready to send the shirt to the laundry, he again grips the pieces at the corners 24 to strip them away and discard them, or, this is done at the laundry if desired. When next received from the laundry, it may have the pieces already attached, or the pieces may be attached thereto by the wearer.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the principles of this invention are shown as applied to the folded over cuffs or wristbands on the sleeves 26 of a shirt. In this form of the invention the reinforcement piece 28 is likewise shaped to conform to the shape and size of the folded over element 30 of the folded wristband or cuff 32. As illustrated, the reinforcing piece 28 is substantially rectangular, in view of the fact that the folded element 30 of the cuff 32 is usually likewise substantially rectangular.

The surface of the reinforcement piece 28 is provided with a similar pressure sensitive pull-release adhesive 34- as in the collar reinforcement pieces 18, and this adhesive covers substantially the entire surface of one side of the reinforcement piece 28 except for adjacent one corner, as at 36, thereby leaving this corner 36 free of adhesive, so that when a pair of reinforcement pieces 28 are placed face-to-face, the same as illustrated in FIG. 6, the two adhesive-free corners 3-6 come face to face in the assembled pair. As thus assembled, it is very easy to separate the two reinforcing pieces 28 and use one piece in each cuif 32 in the same manner that the pair of reinforcement pieces 18 are used in the shirt collar. Either the wearer or the laundry may insert the cuff reinforcement 28 after laundering, and remove the same after the shirt is Worn. before it is laundered. Obviously, both reinforcement pieces 18 and 28 may be made of suitable inexpensive material such as stiffened cardboard, inexpensive plastics, or other similar material that is so inexpensive that it can be readily discarded after one use, and is low enough in price to be used as a business attracting give-away item, along with the laundry service.

Obviously, in view of the necessity in the case of folded cuffs, for inserting cuff links 38 therethrough, the reinforcement pieces 28 may be either scored or perforated at suitable locations at 40 and 42, so as to generally cooperate with the cuff link openings in the cuff 32.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed-is:

1. A reinforcement for the folded element of shirt collars or cuffs comprising a pair of separate oppositelydisposed elongated disposable flat strips of thin, relatively stiff but flexible comparatively inexpensive material and of substantial width generally not greater than the depth of the folded element of the collar or cuff, a coating of pressure sensitive pull-releasable adhesive coating substantially covering one face of each said strip except for small mating corners free from, said adhesive, said strips being assembled as apiar with said coated faces in contact, said adhesive free corners facilitating separating said strips from each other for use in being releasably attached to the major area ofthe. inner surface of said folded element of the shirt collar or cuif for providing reinforcement thereto conforming to. the major area and shape thereof when the shirt is being. worn, said adhesive free corners facilitating. separating said strips thereafter from said folded element.

2. A reinforcement for the folded element of shirt collars comprising a pair of separate oppositely disposed elongated fiat strips of thin, relatively stiff but flexible comparatively inexpensive disposable material and of substantial width generally not greater than the depth of the folded element of the collar, the length of each strip being slightly less than one half the length of said folded element, a coating of pressure sensitive pull-releasable adhesive coating substantially covering oneface of each said strip except for small mating corners free of said adhesive, said strips being assembled as a pair with said coated faces in contact, said adhesive free corners facilitating separating said strips from each other for use in being releasably attached to the major area and shape of the inner surface of said folded element of the shirt collar for providing reinforcement thereto conforming to the major area thereof when the shirt is being worn, said adhesive free corners also facilitating separating said strips thereafter from said folded element.

3. A reinforcement for the folded element of shirt cuffs comprising a pair of separate oppositely disposed elongated flat strips of thin, relatively stiff but flexible comparatively inexpensive disposable material and of substantial width generally not greater than the depth of the folded element of the cuff, the length of each strip being slightly less than the length of said folded element, a coating of pressure sensitive pull-releasable adhesive coating substantially covering one face of each said strip except for small mating corners free of said adhesive, said strips, being assembled as apair with said coated faces in contact, said adhesive free corners facilitating separating said strips from each other for use in being releasably attached to the major, area and shape of the inner surface of said folded element of the shirt cuff for providing reinforcement thereto conforming to the major area thereof when the shirt is beingworn, said adhesive free corners also facilitating separating said strips thereafter from said folded element.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,039,888 Becker Oct. 1, 1912 2,279,663 Dillon Apr. 14, 1942 2,483,952 Wayworth Oct. 4, 1949 2,510,030 Carlisle May 30, 1950 2,595,112 Story Apr. 29, 1952 2,724,836 Wiedemer Nov. 29, 1955 

1. A REINFORCEMENT FOR THE FOLDED ELEMENT OF SHIRT COLLARS IN CUFFS COMPRISING A PAIR OF SEPARATE OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ELONGATED DISPOSABLE FLAT STRIPS OF THIN, RELATIVELY STIFF BUT FLEXIBLE COMPARATIVELY INEXPENSIVE MATERIAL AND OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH GENERALLY NOT GREATER THAN THE DEPTH OF THE FOLDED ELEMENT OF THE COLLAR OR CUFF, A COATING OF PRESSURE SENSITIVE PULL-RELEASABLE ADHESIVE COATING SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING ONE FACE OF EACH OF SAID STRIP EXCEPT FOR SMALL MATING CORNERS FREE FROM SAID ADHESIVE, SAID STRIPS BEING ASSEMBLED AS A PAIR OF WITH SAID COATED FACES IN CONTACT, SAID ADHESIVE FREE CORNERS FACILITATING SEPARATING SAID STRIPS FROM EACH OTHER FOR USE IN BEING RELEASABLY ATTACHED TO THE MAJOR AREA OF THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID FOLDED ELEMENT OF THE SHIRT COLLAR OR CUFF FOR PROVIDING REINFORCEMENT THERETO CONFORMING TO THE MAJOR AREA AND SHAPE THEREOF WHEN THE SHIRT IS BEING WORN, SAID ADHESIVE FREE CORNERS FACILITATING SEPARATING SAID STRIPS THEREAFTER FROM SAID FOLDED ELEMENT. 